There's a great write-up by Scott Squires at the Effects Corner about the current hoopla regarding performance capture, animation and acting in general.

The real processSome actors talk or write about motion capture and 3D animation as ‘painting’ in the image. Painting? Really? That would make sense if you took a time machine back 100 years before computers and tried to explain it I suppose. But these days it makes as much sense as saying Michelangelo ‘doodled’ the David sculpture.

Short form: The performance of the actor is recorded and applied in some form to a Computer Graphic (CG) animated character.

After 5 Years of Development, 3 Years of Online Production by a Global Online Team, 2 Years of Animation, with a $0 budget. Devils, Angels & Dating is completed and released online. Directed by Michael Cawood, this computer animated short film is the work of a worldwide team of Artists and Animators. Entirely developed in the public eye online, it has also become a fantastic resource for Animation students and professionals alike. Be sure to watch the film and spread the message, you can also go behind the scenes and view the development process of the film.

About the Film : Devil wants Cupid's job, but a battle for Death's affections has cosmic ramifications below the Heavens.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Cartoon Brew has a really cool write-up regarding all the different adaptions of Hergé's Tintin. The comics were a huge part of my childhood and it's fun to see the different approaches. They are not all really my thing (including the Spielberg one), except for the 2D animated "Le Temple du Soleil" and "Tintin et le lac aux requins" ones. I'm curious how the Spielberg version will do at the Globes and potential Oscars, given the usual mocap hoopla. :)